Maintaining,
restoring, or sustaining ecosystem conditions involve multi-dimensional
human considerations, including economic, social and cultural, as well as
ecological, factors.
Failure to consider these human dimensions can result in a programmatic failure to attain restoration ecology goals.
We will explore the historical and institutional context of
restoration ecology to better understand why it is important to
include considerations of people and society in natural resource
decisions about restoring damaged ecosystems.
We will examine various land management agencies in the U.S., their definitions
of
restoration ecology, and approaches to managing natural resources based on
it.
We will examine the role of Criteria and Indicators (C & I)
in operationalizing sustainable resource
management. Students will examine the economic and social consequences of converting restoration target conditions into resource management objectives.
We will examine approaches to
restoration ecology that include partnerships between institutions and local communities affected by
restoration ecology projects.
